Page 79 - Soccer360 Issue 106

IMPORTANT DATES El Trafico-
July 4 LAFC vs LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl(Last year MLS record with 82,110 Fans in attandence)
2024 MLS All Star Game - July 24 Columbus’s Lower.com Field
MLS All Star Game is where the MLS All Stars with face a european side in a friendly, last season they faced Arsenal at Audi field. Arsenal won the game 5-0.
Leagues Cup- July 26 to August 25 Its a competition where MLS sides and Liga MX sides take part of. Last year Inter Miami won it with Messi.
MLS Decision Day- October 17
2024 MLS
Cup Final- December 7
TOP RIGHT:
Despite fan backlash,
the Portland Timbers opted to stick with their decision to name Phil Neville as the team’s head coach.
RIGHT:
Timbers defender Juan David Mosquera (29) handles the ball against the Columbus Crew
“THIS APPOINTMENT IS A CRITICAL ONE FOR THE SAKE OF NEVILLE’S COACHING CAREER”
went all the way to the MLS Cup final where they lost in a heartbreaking penalty shootout to New York City FC.
“I am massively excited about the challenge ahead, and from the very first moment I met the staff I knew it was the right opportunity for me, the right club for me and the right city for me,” said Neville in a club statement. “The fans are the most important part of this football club with their intensity and support, and I think
this journey is going to be something special.
I have great memories visiting Portland, which reminds me of Manchester, my hometown, and
I can’t wait for my family to get to know this beautiful city.”
The Phil Neville era couldn’t have gotten off
to a better start on the pitch though, despite the pressure that had been put on the coach’s shoulders. Portland opened the 2024 MLS season with a thrilling 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids at Providence Park. The Timbers had picked up seven points from the first three games and Neville was even named “MLS Coach of the Matchday” for matchdays one and two. The Englishman suddenly had the fans reconsidering their outrage.
“It wasn’t (just) about Phil, it was about the process our front office went through,” Timbers Army Steering Committee member Fernando
SOCCER360 SUMMER 2024 77
TIMBERS ON TOP
Marco D’Onofrio looks back on the Portland Timbers historic 2015 MLS Cup win, in only their fifth MLS campaign.
The Portland Timbers signed the Uruguayan international
in mid-March to help bolster their attack.
When the Portland Timbers knocked off the Columbus Crew 2-1 to win their first and only MLS Cup in 2015, they did so in hostile territory. Not intimidated in the least by the raucous Mapfre Stadium crowd in Columbus, the Timbers opened the scoring just 27 seconds into the contest after Diego Valeri found the back of the net. Just a few minutes later, the Timbers took a commanding 2-0 lead when Rodney Wallace beat Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark in the seventh minute.
Columbus did ultimately score one goal, but it wasn’t enough as the Timbers lifted the Philip F. Anschutz trophy despite having been in the league for just five seasons. They proved to less successful franchises that clubs didn’t need a long time to build a winning team, if they made the right moves off the pitch.
Portland had named Caleb Porter as
the team’s head coach prior to the 2013 campaign and he demonstrated that he was the perfect man to lead the Timbers
to the promised land. With experienced English defender Liam Ridgewell as the team’s captain, the club had the perfect leadership team in place.
While it was not a shock at the time
that the Timbers went all the way in the playoffs, they hadn’t been the best team during the regular season. They finished third in the Western Conference behind FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps. When it mattered most though, Portland was able to knock off both FC Dallas and Vancouver on their way to the most memorable night in the club’s history.